Talking machine



April 26; 1932. H THOMPSETT 1,855,563

TALKING MACHI NE Filed April 27, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l Zhmcuior Guomeys.

April 26,1932- H. A. THOMPSETT 1,855,563

I TALKING MACHINE Filed April 27, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Swank Dad/ MMJW C 0 mm v mnqysl Filed April 27, 1929 3 Sheet 's-Sheet 3 Unnehior Patented Apr. 2 6, 1932 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE nanny .mcn nmnn monrsnrr, or mama, LoNnoN, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOB, BY mm I ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro mm GQRPORATION or summon, on NEW YORK, N. 1. con- IPOBATION OF DELAWARE i TALKING MACHINE Application filed April 27, 1929,-Serial 1%."358320, and in Great Britain Kay 16, 1928.

The invention relates to improvements in continuously playing talking machines such ducer being utilized to operate means for- 15 stopping the machine.

In machines of this kind, when the end ofa. record is reached, a series of operations are automatically carried out, the series of opera tions consisting for example in lifting the re- 20 producer to disengage the stylus from the played record, swinging the reproducer outwards, ejecting the played record, feeding a new record to the turntable and lowering the reproducer to engage the stylus with the aspoint of commencement of the new record preparatory to playing it.

The lowering movement of the reproducer to engage the stylus with the record usually takes placebefore various moving parts of 3o the automatic mechanism have returned to their normal positions. If therefore, when no record is fed to the turntable, the, stopping means is permitted tooperate immediately, for example through the reproducer dropping below the normal playing level, to stop the machine, the machine would come to rest with a cycle of automatic movements uncompleted.

This for many reasons is undesirable.

The present invention is directed therefore to the provision of means whereby the operation of the stopping. means to stop the machine may be delayed until the cycle of automatic operations is completed. The invention accordingly consists in a talking machine of the kind referred to above,

wherein means are provided to actpate the stopping device during the execution of a cycle of automatic operations and secondary 50 means are provided to delay the movement of the stopping device into the full on.or stopping position to stop the machine until the automatic cycle is completed.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which 1 is a plan view of an automatic'magaz ne machine to which the stopping mechamsm according to the present invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the stopping device and the means for operating 1t and.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of mechanism for operating the sound arm.

The machine illustratedis of the kind in WhlCll a clutch device is operated when the end of a record is reached to couple the machine motor to mechanism for carrying out a series of automatic operations preparatory to the playing of a new record.

In the drawings 1 is a base plate mounted 1n a casing and supporting an electric motor 2 on its underside. The motor 2 drives the usual turntable spindle 3 mounted to rotate in abearing in the base plate 1 and carrying a turntable 4, shown dotted in Fig. 1, the diameter of which is less than that of the smallest record to be played. A clutch plate 5 is mounted'on the spindle 3 and normally remains stationary with regard thereto and on this plate is pivotally mounted at 6 an arc-shaped lever 7 furnished on its inner periphery with a tooth 3 which, when lever 7 is permitted to move under the pull of a spring 9 connected between the lever 7 and a stud 10 on the plate 5, engages with a toothed wheel 11 fixedly mounted on the I spindle 3 to clutch plate 5 to the spindle.

The lever 7 is normally, that is to say during playing, held in the clutch out position shown in Fig. lbythe engagement of its free end with one end of a lever 12 pivoted intermediate its ends at 13 on the base plate'l and this lever is adapted to be rocked in well known manner upon reversal of the direction of movement of the sound arm 14,

when'the end of a record is reached, through the engagement of the stylus in an excentric. groovenear the center of the record, by a 10 toothed wheel 15 mounted to rotate against friction on a pin 16 carried on an arm 17 rigid with the sound arm 14, said'wheel being adapted to ride freely over teeth or ratchets 18 carried on the end of lever 12 during playing, but to engage its teeth with those of ratchets 18 tov rock lever. 12 when the direction of movement of the sound arm 14 is reversed.

When lever 12 is rocked as described above, and plate 5 is clutched to spindle 3, the drive the motor is transmitted to acam shaft 19' through a train of gears which includes a gear wheel, not shown, rigid with plate and gears 20, 21 and 22 of which 20 and 21 are integral with one another while the last mentioned 22 is rigid with the camshaft 19. Upon the camshaft is carried a of cams not shown, and these are a-nisms to automatically effect a Series of opera-tions including raising the sound arm 14 to disengage the stylus from the record, swing said sound arm outwards to a position where the stylus is over the point of commencement-- of a new record, eject the played record,'operate record transferring mechanism to feed a new record from a magazine to the playing position on the turntable and finally to lower the sound arm 14.

Upon .the upper surface of the gear 22 rigid with cam shaft 19 is mounted a ring 23 having a depression 24 formed in its inner periphery, and a pin 25 on the under side of the end of lever 12 lies in this depression 24 when the parts are in the'normal or playing position.

When the lever 12 is rocked as described above to put in the clutch, pin 25 is moved from depression 24 and the lever 12 is prevented from returningto its original position while the camshaft, 19 is rotating, by

the engagement of pin 25 with the inner wall of ring 23, until the cam shaft has completed one revolution. whereupon the lever 12 returns to the position shown in Fig. 1 where it engages the end of lever 7 to put out the clutch. During one complete revolution of cam shaft 19 a complete cycle of auto- .matic operations is effected.

.sound arm 14 is mounted for pivotal movement in a vertical plane in trunnion bearings 27 on a vertical tubular extension 28 of the sound arm which vertical extension is itself mounted to rotate bout a substantially vertical axis in a' bearing 29 carried on the base plate 1.

movement vertically and horizontally.

To move the sound arm 14 in its bearings 27, a pillar 30 is mounted for vertical move- Sound arm 14 is thus capable of swinging ,3) whereby vertical movements are imparted to pillar 30. At the upper end of the pillar is carried an are shaped plate 35 adapted, when'the pillar is raised, to engage a stud 36 carried onlan arm 37 rigid with and projecting radially of the vertically movable portion of the sound arm 14 whereby the latter is rocked about its bearings 27 and the stylus 26 is disengaged from the record.

In the playing position the are shaped plate occupies a position below and out of contact with stud 36.

The sound arm ,is swung outwards while in.

vertical post 40 by means of a rocking lever 41 operated at appropriate moments from a cam, not shown, on camshaft 19, the upper end of-the post engaging beneath the played record to tilt it until the central aperture is disengaged from the end of spindle 3 whereupon the record is slewed off by the rotation of the turntable into a receptacle 42. A roller 43 facilitates movement of the ejected record.

- A new record is fed to the turntable from a. magazine 44, by means of a conveyor arm 45 operated from the camshaft 19 in a manner fully described in my co-pending application. Seriai No. 358,719, filed April 27-, 1929, to lift the record from the pile in the magazlne and to swing with said record about a vertical axis situated at 46' to a position over the turntable 4 where it permits the record to fall into the playing position.

When a new record has been placed on the turntable the sound arm 14 is lowered through the rocking of lever 32 and the lowering of pillar 30 until the stylus 26 engages the outer edge of the new record, the pillar 30 sinking to a position where the plate 35 is disengaged from stud 36. Playing of the new record then commences.

- If however, no new record isfed to the turntable through the magazine having become empty the stylus 36 when the sound arm 14 is lowered, meets with no resistance when it reaches the normal playing level and consequently the lowering movement con- .t nnes and the sound arm 14 falls to. a level 48 on which is rotatably mounted a smaller. plate 49 connected with the switch contacts inside casing 47 On plate 49 is pivoted a catch lever 50 at point 51 and this'lever 50 carries a stud 52 ,to which is connected a light spring 53 the other end of which is con-- nected with a pin 54 on the plate 49 so that catch lever 50 is normally urged in a coun- 14 being affected however, before the rotation of the cam shaft 19 and the execution of the ter-clockwise direction on p1ate49, its movement in that direction being limited however, by contact with the head 55 of the pivot pin of plate 49.

The catch lever 50 is provided with a tooth 56 which in the closed circuit position engages with a projection 57 on a detent lever 58 pivoted at 59 on plate 48. A spring 60' is arranged to operate on the detent lever 58 to normally hold it inthe position where it engages catch-lever 50 and the switch is held in the on position.(shown in Fig. 1).

The catch lever 50 and plate 49 are adapted to be released from the detent 58 by the rotation of the latter about its pivot on plate 48 and this is efi'ected by the dropping movement of the sound arm 14 into a position below the normal playing level when there is no record on the turntable.

- For this purpose a lever 61 is pivot-edat 62 on abracket 63 on the base plate, a spring 64 is connected between lugs 65 and 66 on the lever 61 and the bracket 63 respectively to normally hold said lever with its free end in the raised positionas shown in Fig. 2. A lug 67 shaped as shown in Fig. 2-is formed on the upper side of lever 61 and this lug 67 is engaged by a stud 68 carried in an extension 37 of the radially extending arm 37 as the sound arm 14 is lowered.

The free end of the lever 61 is furnished with an inclined surface 69 which when said lever is depressed engages the end of the detent lever 58 to move the latter about its pivot 59 on plate 48 against spring 60 and thereby release catch lever 50 and plate 49 from said detent 58. l

The lowering movement of the sound arm automatic cycle is completed, means are provided to delay the movement of the plate 49 and the switch into the stopping or switch.

, open position until the .cycle is completed.

The means employed for thispurpose comprises a lever 70 pivotally mounted at 71 on is put in an step is the liftingb plate 48 at the side of plate 49 away from catch lever 50. The lever 70 is furnished with an elongated slot 72 which engages pin 54 on plate 49 so that the latter may be rotated to open or close the switch only in con- .7

junction with movement of lever 70 about its pivot 71 on plate 48. A spring 73 is provided clockwise direction in Fig. 1, under the urge of spring 73 and lever 70- through pin 54 to move into the switch open position. This movement however, is prevented owing to the engagement of the stud 74 with the projec tion 75 on the clutch lever 12, until the cam shaft 19 has made a complete revolutionand pin 25" enters depression 24 and the-lever 12 rocks into the full line position shown in Fig. 1, whereupon lever 70 is freed for movement about pivot 71 and-rotates plate 49 to open the switch.

For starting the machine, a push rod 76 is provided mounted for movement on ide pins 77 on the base plate, through a t umb push 78 and this push rod 76 engages the position through the engagement of the pro- "jection 75 on the clutch lever 12 with the upstanding pin 74 on the pivoted lever 70 connected through pin 54 and slot 72 with the pivoted late 49. As soon as the clutch d the current is switched on, the camshaft 19 rotates and an automatic cycle of operations commences in which the first the manner descr' ed above, whereupon 'the vertically moving lever 61 is relieved of the weight of the sound arm and is permitted to rise until the detent 58 moves under the urge of spring 60 intothe osition where it engages'catch lever 50 an the pivoted plate 49- and the pivoted lever 70 connected thereto are held against rotation when the latter is.

released by the clutch lever 12 through the projection-7 5 moving away from stud 74 as I .theclutch is put out.

I claim: i 1. In a talkinggnachine of the type embodying automatic mechanism adapted to of the sound arm 14 in L perform successively cycles of automatic operations to reproduce a plurality of records and wherein the stylus is lowered to engage a record in' laying. position before said automatic mec anism has completed its cycle of operations, the combination of means for Stopping said machine, means controlled by movement of the sound arm toward playing position for actuating said stopping mechanism when no record is in position for reproduction, and means controlled by said au-' tomatic mechanism for delaying actuation of said stopping mechanism until the cycle of operations of said automatic mechanism is completed.

2. In a talking machine of the type embodying automatic mechanism adapted to perform successively cycles of automatic operations to reproduce a plurality of records and wherein the stylus is lowered to engage a record in playing position before saidautomatic mechanism has completed its cycle of operations, the combination of a stopping device movable to a position for stopping said machine, means controlled by movement of the. sound arm toward playing position for actuating said stopping device when no record is in position for reproduction, a member in the path of movement of said stopping device, and means actuated by said automatic mechanism on completion of a cycle of operations for moving said member out of the path of movement of said device.

3. In a talklng machine of the type embodying automatic mechanism adapted to perform successively cycles of automatic operations to reproduce a plurality of records, the combination of a stopping device movable to a position for stopping said machine, means actuated by movement of the sound arm toward playing position for actuating said stopping device, a pivoted lever having an end positloned in the path of movement of said stoping' device, and means actuated by said automatic mechanism on completion of a cycl for rocking said lever.

4-. In a talkingmachine of the type embodying automatic mechanism adapted to perform successively cycles of automatic operations .to reproduce a plurality of records, a stopping device movable to a positionfor stopping said machine, a detent holding said device out of stopping position, means actuated by movement of the sound arm toward playing position for releasing said detent when no record is in position for reproduction, a pivoted lever having one end posi tioned in the path of movement of said device, and means actuated by said automatic mechanism on completion of a cycle for rocking said lever. v

5. In a talking .machine of the type embodying automatic mechanism adapted to perform successively cycles of automatic operations to reproduce a plurality of records and an electric driving motor, the combination of a motor switch, means actuated by movement of the sound arm toward playing position for opening said switch when 'no record is in position for reproduction, and

means' controlled by said automatic mechanism for delaying opening of said switch until a cycle of operations is completed.

6.- In a talking machine of the type embod ing automatic mechanism adapted to per orm successively cycles of operations to reproduce a plurality of records and an electric driving motor, the combination of a motor switch, means actuated by movement of the sound arm toward playing position for opening said switch when no record is in position for reproduction, a member positioned in the path of movement of said switch to open position, and means actuated by said automatic mechanism when a'cycle of operations is complete for moving sa1d member.

7. In a talking machine of the type 'embodying automatic mechanism adapted to perform successively cycles of operationsto reproduce a plurality of records and an electric driving motor, the combination of a motor switch, a detent normally holding said switchin closed position, means actuated by movement of the sound arm toward playing position for releasing said detent when no record is in position for reproduction, andmeans controlled by said automatic mechanism for preventin opening of said switch until a cycle of operations is complete.

8. In a talking machine of the type embodying automatic mechanism adapted to per orm successively cycles of operations to reproduce a plurality of records and an electric driving motor, the combination of a motor switch, a detent normally holding said switch in closed position, means actuated by movement of the sound arm toward playing position for releasing said detent when no record is in position for reproduction, a member positioned in the path of movement of said switch to open position, and means actuated by said automatic mechanism when a cycle of operations is complete for moving said member.

'9. In a talking machine of the type embodying automaticfmechanism adapted to' perform successively cycles of operations to reproduce a plurality of records and an electric driving motor, the combination of a motor switch, a detent normally holding said switch in closed position, means actuated by movement of the sound arm toward playlng position for releasing said detent when no record is in position for reproduction, a pivoted lever having one end positioned in the path of movement of said switch to open position, and means actuated by said automatic mechanism when a cycle of operations is complete for'rocking said lever about its pivot.

10. In a phonograph of the type embodying automatic mechanism adapted to perform successively cycles of automatic operations to reproduce a pluralityof records, the combination of a switch for starting and stoppin said phonograph, means for hold for withdrawingsaid projection out of the ing sai switch in on osition, means actuated by a movement the sound arm below the plane occupied thereb during normal record reproduction in t e absence of a record on the turntable for releasing said first-named means, a pivoted lever having an end positioned in the path of said switch for retaining the same in on position subsequent to the release of said detent, and

means actuated by said automatic mechanism on completion of a cycle of operations for withdrawing said lever out of the path of said switch.

11. In a phonograph of the type embodying automatic mechanism adapted to per- .form successively cycles of automatic operations to reproduce a plurality of records, the combination of a switch for starting and stoppin said phonograph, a detent for holding sai switch inon osition, means actuated by a movement 0? the sound arm in y the absence of a record on the turntable for releasing said detent, a pivoted lever havin an end positioned in the path of said switc for retaining the same in on position subever in on position,.means actuated by a movement of the sound arm in the absence 1 of a record on the turntable for releasing said first-named means, a pivoted lever havan end positioned in the path of said switch lever for retainin the same in on sition subsequent to t e release ofsaid rst-named means, and means actuated by said automatic mechanism on completion of a cycle of operations for withdrawing said leverout of the path of said switch lever.

13. In a phonograph of the type embodying automatic mechanism adapted to perform successively cycles of automatic 0 erationsto reproduce a plurality of recor s,

the combinatlon of a switch movable toan of position for stopping said honograph;

' a detent for holding said switc in an on position, a trip lever actuated by movement of the sound arm in the absence of. a record on the turntable for releasing said detent,

a pivotedlever having a'projetion thereon extending into the pat a cycle of operation to hold said switch in on position after the release of said detent,

path of" said switch to thereof into an ofi position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY ARCHIIALD THOIPSETT.

permit movement of'said switch during...-

and means actuated by said automatic mechanism on completion of said cycle of operation 

